Do this. You will absolutely never regret it.

I have such a hard time trying to describe SAS to people. There are many great study abroad programs out there...but SAS is not just simply another "study abroad program." It's an all-encompassing, life-changing, introspective, and personally challenging experience that will stretch you as much as you allow it to.

Every personal boundary, opinion, bias, and perspective will be tested as you sail between 10+ countries. As you're confronted with so many different cultural intricacies and challenges, all right in a row, you have no choice but to compare experiences and re-evaluate yourself and your role in society. So much change and travel means there is never enough time to become stagnant or comfortable. You're patience and flexibility is constantly tested, and you'll grow so much personally because of it.

There's the big, not-to-be-missed sightseeing opportunities: hiking Table Mountain in South Africa, being yards from a wild lion on an African safari, standing at the base of the Taj Mahal. There's the unique local experiences: sliding down sand dunes in Namibia, sampling street food everywhere, wandering markets and bartering. There's the personal, reflective experiences: the feeling of staring at the horizon for days on end while sailing the ocean is something I will carry with me my entire life. There's the social experiences: learning a ton about yourself and your ship friends as you're sequestered on the ship for days on end. They will become and remain some of your best friends for a lifetime.

You will see the good in the world and the world's people. A friend and I were once stranded at an internet cafe late at night in a giant thunderstorm in a tiny Guatemalan town, a 35 minute drive away from where the ship was about to leave port that night. There were no taxis or transportation in sight. We asked the cafe owners (who spoke broken English) for advice. They easily could have let two clueless Americans fend for ourselves. However, they instead offered to personally drive us back to the ship, which was clearly out of their way. We tried paying them as a token of thanks, but they refused to accept any money. Everybody I know from SAS has a similar story...there is lots of good left in the world, if you learn where to look.

Bottom line: SAS changes you, in the best way possible. It's everything a study abroad program should be. Please contact me with any questions; I can't begin to describe how SAS has personally affected my life.